The firm’s unique, operationally led model continues to drive performance across multiple industries and create opportunities for key strategic partnerships.
BOCA RATON, Fla., Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Dragon Capital℠ (“BDC,” “Black Dragon”) has wrapped up a successful 2025, characterized by continued expansion for the firm and growth for its portfolio companies. The global firm’s emphasis on the intense operational experience of its investment professionals, deep domain expertise, and industry-focused approach has continued to drive interest from an expanded investor base, leading to success within its portfolio.
Founded over a decade ago by recognized financial technology leaders, Black Dragon Capital℠ is a multi-phased investment firm focused on disruptive technologies in high growth industry segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. The firm is led by a collaborative team with a combination of intense operating experience, community impact focus, and a proven track record of successfully transforming companies.
Strengthening the Team and Expanding Offices
Over the past year, Black Dragon Capital℠ has added key leadership roles such as VP of Finance and VP of Marketing in its corporate services, One Dragon Services group. Michelle Bateman joined the firm as VP of Product Management while Michael Persichini was hired as VP of Capital Development.
The firm also appointed long-term FinTech industry veteran, Kevin Lee, as Partner. Mr. Lee has over 25 years of experience in the software and payments industry as a SaaS CEO driving growth, innovation, and transformation for multiple software and FinTech companies. As Partner at Black Dragon Capital, he is passionate about creating and delivering value to customers, partners, and investors.
Key leadership appointments were also made in the Black Dragon Capital℠ portfolio companies: Universal payments platform PayOnward appointed Cary Strange as CEO; newly launched youth athletics and leadership organization Dragons Elite Athletics added to its roster of leaders to include Sarah Hernandez, Founder, VP of Team Engagement, and Regional Director for Boca Raton Baseball and Brandon Brader Executive Director – Facilities and Community Relations; and the nationally accredited private school offering cost-efficient and flexible one-on-one learning programs, Dragons Academy, opened its doors with a strengthened leadership team including Marisol Rosales, Senior Advisor and former Senior Deputy Chancellor of New York City Public Schools.
Overall, Black Dragon Capital℠ and its portfolio companies hired 85 talented new team members in 2025¹. This contributed to the continued expansion of its teams in the US and across the globe including Argentina, India, Mexico, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.
Black Dragon Capital℠ Establishes Key FinTech Partnerships Within the Credit Union Space
2025 was a landmark year for Black Dragon Capital℠ and their continued efforts to support the credit union movement. The firm strengthened existing fintech partnerships while establishing new ones with future forward credit unions and CUSOs, which culminated in the creation of the Black Dragon Capital℠ FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board.
The Black Dragon Capital℠ FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board focuses on collaboration, innovation and community engagement between the most advanced credit unions and CUSOs in the industry and the intense operating focus and domain expertise of Black Dragon Capital. The collaboration will seek to build the most important and successful FinTech organizations that solve the most significant issues in the industry, creating sustainable long-term businesses, and drive strong returns to members and investors in the credit union industry.
Prominent credit unions and CUSOs have joined Black Dragon Capital℠ FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board, including:
- SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union
- Velera
- California Credit Union
- Canvas Credit Union
- AltaOne Federal Credit Union
- State Employees Credit Union of Maryland
- FirstTech Federal Credit Union
- Origence
- Redwood Credit Union
- Washington State Employees Credit Union
The initiative is supported by a governance and advisory structure comprised of experienced credit union executives and industry leaders. It is chaired by Benson Porter, former CEO of BECU and First Tech Federal Credit Union, with a Limited Partner Advisory Board co-chaired by Bill Cheney, CEO of SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union, and Chuck Fagan, CEO of Velera.
Advisors include Mark Meyer of Filene Research Institute, Kirk Kordeleski, former CEO of Bethpage Federal Credit Union, and Chris Otey of CU 2.0.
To further reinforce their efforts of driving innovation that can empower the credit union movement, Black Dragon also added tenured industry leaders into its roster of advisors:
- Charles Potts, EVP, Chief Innovation Officer, Independent Community Bankers of America
- Harry Gunsallus, President & ISO of DLP Bank
- Rumi Contractor, Former CEO of HSBC Global Resourcing
- Paul Schaus, Managing Partner and Founder of CCG Catalyst
“The creation of our FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board is a significant milestone that reflects our dedication to collaborating with credit unions to leverage advanced technologies that can empower them to better serve their communities. We continue to build more partnerships within the credit union space as we aim to address some of our industry's biggest challenges," said Benson Porter, FinTech CUSO Chair, Black Dragon Capital.
Black Dragon Capital℠ Continues Impact Investing, Strengthening Influence in Fintech and Media While Achieving Breakthroughs in New Industries
Black Dragon Capital℠ made multiple investments to support the growth and expansion of its portfolio. Driven by its steadfast commitment to the credit union movement, the firm has intensified its focus into addressing the unique needs of that market by forming partnerships with credit unions and investing in advanced technologies that can directly benefit the industry. The firm’s initial investments represent a powerful demonstration of that vision include:
· Open Banking Solutions, a full-featured cloud-based core banking platform offering a powerful alternative to legacy infrastructure.
· PayOnward, an AI-driven digital payment platform built for credit unions and community-based financial institutions.
· Veep Software, an AI-powered platform redefining Anytime Wage Access.
· GenAspire, a white-labeled teen banking solution designed for families, built for Credit Unions in collaboration with high schools.
Through its partnership with multiple credit unions, Black Dragon was able to provide financial backing to Open Banking Solutions and PayOnward, two financial solutions in its portfolio that can help credit unions drive innovation and eliminate obsolete infrastructure. The firm also made investments toward GenAspire and Veep Software, new financial solutions in the firm’s portfolio which can help credit unions optimize their services for the next generation of credit union members.
Black Dragon Capital℠ continues to support the sports and media technology and digital commerce industry with their continued investment and support of Grass Valey and Naveo Commerce.
Grass Valley is one of the largest and most influential technology providers for the live media and entertainment industry, has resulted in its remarkable growth. Black Dragon Capital℠ has worked closely with Grass Valley, playing a pivotal role in helping the media technology giant advance new products, drive innovation, and further its market leadership with the expansion of the Grass Valley Media Universe – one of the most advanced cloud native digital ecosystems in the industry.
Naveo Commerce offers the entire end-to-end commerce support to retailers and wholesalers. The Naveo Commerce platform has won awards for the best user experience in 2015, the best online store of the year in 2013, and comet of the year in 2012.
Finally, Black Dragon Capital℠ successfully ventured into two new industries by founding and investing in Dragons Elite Athletics and Dragons Academy.
Dragons Elite Athletics is a premier youth athletics and leadership organization providing professionally managed, high-performance training with former professional players and licensed coaches, with a clear, structured development path for athletes in a nurturing environment free from favoritism and politics. Built on a next generation digital youth ecosystem, Dragon Elite intends to reshape the future of youth athletics as a powerful platform for a healthy lifestyle, athletics, and leadership development all within a digital ecosystem. Following its launch in 2025, Dragons Elite Athletics has already grown to almost 50 youth travel and select teams for baseball and softball. The organization received funding from Black Dragon Capital℠, further bolstering its growth. Currently, Dragons Elite Athletics has four locations with state-of-the-art training facilities across the US, including: Coral Springs, West Palm Beach, South Wellington and Lake Worth, and New York.
Dragons Academy is a nationally accredited private school offering the highest accredited curriculum in the United States through transformative programs focused on nurturing each student through one-to-one, strengths-based learning. Led by experts in personalized education and student development, Dragon Academy is designed to address the increasing frustration with public and private education by focusing on the critical accredited courses and delivering one on one learning, to drive greater learning and maximize the potential of each student, in a more cost-effective way to families.
“I founded Dragons Elite Athletics with the goal of providing families and players with a better youth athletics experience, with an emphasis on long-term development on and off the field Dragons Elite Athletics’ remarkable growth would not have been possible without the financial backing and support from Black Dragon, whose operations-led approach significantly helped us scale with our rapid expansion,” Sarah Hernandez, Founder and Board Member of Dragons Elite Athletics. “We are optimistic that Dragons Elite can bring this momentum into 2026.”
Supported Sales and Business Development
Throughout 2025, Black Dragon Capital℠ maintained its commitment to the industries it serves through active participation in roadshows and industry events across the globe, delivering thought-provoking speaking engagements, engaging in private meetings with industry leaders, and hosting exclusive industry-focused events.
The Black Dragon team members participated in events in the United States, China, India, the Middle East and Europe. Black Dragon Capital℠ CEO and Founder Louis Hernandez, Jr. was a prominent speaker at several events including the Future of Media Forum (FOMEX) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha, NAB 2025 in Las Vegas, the New America Alliance (NAA) International Symposium in Puerto Rico, Big Bright Minds 2025, hosted by the Filene Research Institute in Nashville, and an exclusive banking event hosted by CCG Catalyst and CFO Consulting Partners, during New York FinTech Week , among other events. Hernandez also received the Visionary Leadership Award² from the International Trade Association for Broadcast and Media during the 2025 IABMTV Impact Awards, recognizing his lifetime commitment to innovation and service to the Media industry.
The firm was present at major fintech, media technology, and digital commerce trade shows including CES 2025, CUNA GAC 2025, TRANSACT, NACUSO, Digital Bank, Money 20/20, and Finovate Fall. Black Dragon’s steadfast commitment to the credit union movement also resulted in its participation at multiple credit union-focused events such as attending the MD-DC Credit Union Association's 2025 Tech Summit in Maryland; co-hosting the welcome reception at the 60th NASCUS State System Summit in Texas; co-hosting events at Elevate Credit Union Leadership Summit in Dallas, Texas; co-hosting a private reception for credit union leaders at the Filene Lab Symposium in Wisconsin; sponsoring and hosting a welcome reception at the Maxx Conference hosted by GoWest Credit Union Association in Portland; and hosting an exclusive event for credit union leaders aiming to reshape the industry in Palm Desert, California.
Black Dragon Capital℠ also consistently participated in major media tradeshows such as ISE 2025 in Barcelona, CABSAT 2025 in the United Arab Emirates, Future of Media Exhibition (FOMEX) in Saudi Arabia, Broadcast India in India, BIRTV Beijing in China, NAB 2025 in Las Vegas, USA, and IBC 2025 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Finally, the Black Dragon Capital℠ team also attended major retail and ecommerce tradeshows: National Retail Federation (NRF), in New York City.
“Black Dragon Capital℠ has had an exceptional year marked by continued expansion within the firm, among our key partnerships across multiple industries, and throughout our portfolio companies. Our unique, operational led approach continues to deliver results, allowing us to breakthrough into new markets,” said Louis Hernandez, Jr., CEO and Founder, Black Dragon Capital. “We are excited to continue working on solutions that can positively impact our focus industries and improve the communities we serve.”
For A Bright Future Foundation & Participation in Events Supporting Communities Served by Black Dragon and Its Partners
Many of the members of the Black Dragon team also participate in Louis Hernandez, Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development. Its unique programs include approximately 20 annual scholarship awards, FinTech and MediaTech labs, the Ambassador leadership program, and the newly launched Youth Educational & Fitness Leadership Program which was created in partnership with Dragons Elite Athletics and provides financial support to multiple youth athletes.
For A Bright Future has partnered with numerous hospitals over the years, including Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, West Palm Children’s Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Hospital, the Children’s Miracle Network, and Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital – where Louis Hernandez, Jr. Continues to serve on the foundation board.
Since Black Dragon Capital℠ is deeply involved with the communities it serves, the firm also showed support for the advocacies championed by its partners. In 2025, the Black Dragon leadership team joined For A Bright Future in attending the Credit Unions For Kids Wine Auction, reinforced its commitment to children’s health by sponsoring the 2025 Credit Unions for Kids Northwest Classic Golf Tournament, and further showed its dedication to supporting underserved communities by sponsoring the 8th Annual SECU MD Foundation Golf Classic.
¹ Disclaimer: Not all hires were for new roles some were to replace exiting employees.
² The award was granted by IABM based on industry leadership criteria and is not indicative of investment performance.
About Black Dragon Capital
Black Dragon Capital℠, founded over a decade ago by recognized financial technology leaders, is a multi-phased investment firm focused on disruptive technologies in high growth industry segments that strengthen economic stability within communities. The firm is led by a collaborative team with a combination of intense operating experience, community impact focus, and a proven track record of successfully transforming companies.
About the Black Dragon Capital℠ FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board
The FinTech Limited Partner Advisory Board (LPAB) is an organization comprised of recognized credit union and CUSO investment partners. The Advisory Board provides input on industry issues, feedback on operational and technical areas with potential and current investments, and provides strategic advice and direction on all Black Dragon Capital's investments for Fintech strategies. The Advisory Board's feedback incorporates insight from Black Dragon's Global Advisory Group, thought leadership and guidance on key events.
About For A Bright Future Foundation
Louis Hernandez Jr.'s Foundation For A Bright Future is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting the needs of underrepresented and underprivileged children through education, healthcare, the arts, and youth leadership development. Our initiatives provide equal opportunity for all children to have the tools and opportunities to fulfill their life goals and become constructive members of our global community. Learn more at forabrightfuturefoundation.org.
Media Contact or Inquiries:
Viviana Lauschus
Marketing Manager, Black Dragon Capital
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Disclaimer
This material is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security. Any investment involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Statements regarding portfolio companies, operational initiatives, or industry developments are not guarantees of future performance or results. References to third parties, advisors, portfolio executives, or partners are for informational purposes only and do not constitute endorsements of Black Dragon Capital or its investment strategies. References to portfolio companies are illustrative and do not represent the performance of any investment or fund.